Disney Park Itineraries & Touring Plans
Our park itineraries for Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Tokyo, Paris, and Hong Kong offer step by step touring plans with efficient strategy for 1-day and multi-day visits. These plans-of-attack cover rides, restaurants, shows, etc., and will help you save time by avoiding crowds and minimizing wait times.
We’ve added strategy for 2020, including Star Wars Land at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland, which now features Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. This is the blockbuster attraction of Galaxy’s Edge, and it uses a new virtual queue and boarding pass system. Unlike other attractions, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance does not offer FastPass, nor does it have a standby line.
Other itinerary tweaks account for attraction closures, new entertainment at Epcot, and the opening of Soaring Fantastic Flight. Additionally, the Disney Skyliner gondolas and new resorts at Walt Disney World are now included in some of our “beyond the parks” itineraries…
Our patented (not really) park strategy guides are unlike most theme park itineraries that you’ll find. These are not focused solely on efficiency. Instead, we also cover quiet places to stop and enjoy the ambiance. We believe there’s more to theme parks, and Disney’s parks should also be enjoyed for the wonderful atmosphere and sense of place that separates them from other theme and amusement parks.
Of course, efficiency is important, too, so we make sure to order experiences in a way that minimizes waiting in lines. (“I love waiting in lines!” ~said no one, ever.) We think our balanced approach that starts by emphasizing efficiency and continues by focusing on the subtle charm when the lines are longer is the best of both worlds.
This results in Disney touring plans that allow you to get a lot done, while also enjoying the scenery and what the theme parks have to offer beyond the rides. We do not view the parks simply as collections of attractions that should be completed checklist style, so the plans balance “getting stuff done” with “having a nice, leisurely day.”
If that approach sounds appealing to you, check out our touring plans for Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and the international Disney Parks…
Walt Disney World Theme Parks
With 4 theme parks, plus 2 water parks, a couple dozen resort hotels, and lots of “other stuff” our 1-day plans for Walt Disney World barely scratch the surface.
In an ideal world, we’d allocate 5 days to the WDW theme parks, with probably two days spent in the Magic Kingdom. Here are our current touring plans for Walt Disney World…
Magic Kingdom 1-Day Itinerary – An aggressive itinerary for Walt Disney World’s flagship park that combines an early morning in Fantasyland with lunch at Be Our Guest Restaurant, morning snacking, and midday shows to recharge before a fun evening doing the rides that are best at night. You can’t do it all at Magic Kingdom in a single day, but this comes very close.
Magic Kingdom 2-Day Itinerary – Our preferred way to experience Magic Kingdom. The pace here is slightly more leisurely, allowing for more snack time, soaking up the beautiful details, and meals at the best restaurants in the park.
Epcot 1-Day Itinerary – Few Epcot touring plans can hit the “Big Three” (Frozen Ever After, Test Track, and Soarin’ Around the World) in a single day, but this one manages to do exactly that–with minimal waits. You’ll also fully experience Future World before a pleasant time in World Showcase.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios 1-Day Itinerary – Everything you’ll want to do in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, including Toy Story Land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, roller coasters, and the park’s many shows. This DHS touring plan also includes two table service meals, which are among the best-themed restaurants at Walt Disney World!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios Half-Day Itinerary – Since it’s currently not the best park (just wait until Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens for that), we recommend those short on time do only an evening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This touring plan manages to hit the highlights in a half-day. (This will soon be updated to include Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.)
Disney’s Animal Kingdom 1-Day Itinerary – Now that Pandora: World of Avatar is open, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is unequivocally a full-day park (not that it wasn’t before). This itinerary gets you in and out of Pandora quickly, bypassing the frequent two-hour waits for Flight of Passage. It also allows ample time for exploration, animal watching, and eating.
Outside Walt Disney World’s Parks
1-Day Self-Guided Yuletide Itinerary – The very first itinerary we published, as a way of exploring Walt Disney World’s many beautiful resorts at Christmas. This totally free plan covers the best of Disney during the holidays, including Wilderness Lodge’s towering tree, Grand Floridian’s gorgeous gingerbread house, and more!
Skyliner Sip & Snack Itinerary – Walt Disney World’s new aerial transportation system presents some great opportunities to glide around via the gondolas, doing some delicious dining, drinking, and hotel hijinks along the way. This is either a half-day or full-day itinerary, depending upon how long you linger at each stop.
Walt Disney World “Beyond the Parks” 1-Day Itinerary – Have a free day but don’t want to spend it poolside or simply shopping the day away at Disney Springs? This itinerary takes you around other under-the-radar spots at Walt Disney World that are fun but do not charge admission.
Disneyland Resort
In an ideal world, we recommend two full days at Disneyland, which is now the case more than ever following the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Additionally, we recommend a full day or more at Disney California Adventure to see and explore the more leisurely park without feeling rushed. There’s so much entertainment in addition to attractions that it’s difficult to see and do it all in a single day.
This is especially true now, as crowds have also increased at Disneyland dramatically in the last 3 years, meaning longer wait times and fewer attractions per day. When Rise of the Resistance opens in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, or once the land gets more crowded, you might just need a third day at Disneyland.
Disneyland Park 1-Day Touring Plan – Our most aggressive single-day itinerary for the Disney theme park with the most attractions, this Disneyland touring plan starts in Fantasyland, includes ideal FastPass strategy, along with plenty of snacking and soaking up the quaint charm of “Walt Disney’s original magic kingdom.” (Updated to include Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.)
Disneyland 2-Day Touring Plan – A Disneyland touring plan with time to breathe. This one covers all of the same ground as our 1-day itinerary, while also seeing and doing things that you’d have to skip in a single day due to a lack of time. (Updated to include Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.)
Disney California Adventure 1-Day Touring Plan – If you want to do Radiator Springs Racers, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, or DCA’s other thrill rides without waiting in long lines, our Disney California Adventure itinerary is for you.
International Disney Parks
In this case, “International Parks” means the two parks at Tokyo Disney Resort and Disneyland Paris, plus Hong Kong Disneyland. Much like Disneyland, neither Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea can be fully experienced in a single day. However, we recognize that’s how much time most people will allocate to these parks during a trip to Japan, so here are our plans for those parks:
Tokyo Disneyland 1-Day Touring Plan – Another challenging castle park thanks to a surplus of attractions and live entertainment. Nevertheless, this Tokyo Disneyland itinerary allows you to do as much as possible via efficient ordering of rides.
Tokyo DisneySea 1-Day Touring Plan – Our favorite theme park in the world, period. This Tokyo DisneySea itinerary does the tough tightrope walk of getting you through popular rides efficiently, while also savoring this ornately designed park like a fine wine.
Disneyland Paris 1-Day Touring Plan – We take that same ‘fine wine’ approach here, as Disneyland Paris is the most lavish–and best designed–castle park in the world. This itinerary strikes the perfect balance.
Walt Disney Studios Park 1-Day Touring Plan – A far cry from the castle park next door, WDSP is–bluntly–a utilitarian park. This itinerary gets you in and out as quickly as possible, so you can do the rides and shows here and then hightail it back to Disneyland Paris.
Hong Kong Disneyland 1-Day Touring Plan – The new quaint, uncrowded Disney park, Hong Kong Disneyland is the only castle park that does not require an efficient plan of attack. Nonetheless, waiting in line is never fun, so this HKDL itinerary covers what order to do the popular rides here.
That covers it for our Disney Parks itineraries! If there are any other plans you’d like to see, or if you have questions about the current Disney Parks plans, please let us know in the comments!
Planning a visit to one of the Disney theme parks? Check out our Disney Parks Vacation Planning Guides for everything you need to start planning a trip to Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Aulani in Hawaii.
Your Thoughts
What would you include in your ideal day at the Disney Parks? If you haven’t visited yet, what do you plan on doing? Anything you’d add to any of our plans? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Hi there! I’ve been following your blog and posts as we have a trip coming up for Sept 10, 2020. Anyways, curious if we should follow your current itineraries as they’re posted for when we go or anything different we should do now that there’s no Fast Passes / reduced hours/reduced Crowds etc?
I was wondering how the itineraries have changed for Disney World with the limited capacities, lack of fastpasses and closures? We are going in late October and trying to see what other activities we might be able to squeeze in.
Hello,
The seemingly clickable links to alternate articles aren’t working. I’m going to Disney with my children for the first time this summer and need all the advice I can get. I know we won’t be going back for a long time so I feel like I made a mistake by booking the trip for this summer based on all of the construction. Any advice would be helpful.
What are the weight limitations on rides?
Hey Patty! Is there a particular ride you are curious about? All of Disney’s ride have seem to accommodate all people of various sizes even handicapped people (so there is NOT a weight limitation). The only thing I have seen is the Barnstormer does not work for 2 people that are on the bigger size. There are no worries :)! ( I am not Tom).
Anyone have any tips on when to schedule fastpasses for the day of arrival? Our plane touches down around 10:30 and we are using the Magical Express to the hotel.
Could we expect to be in the parks by noon or is that too soon? Thanks
I think it’s best to give yourself a couple hours buffer. When I take a morning flight I usually touch down at 8:30 and don’t get to the parks until 10:30, that includes stopping at the check in desk and then immediately going out to the buses.
The last trip we used the magic express was in april of 2019. It was a very long walk to the bus terminal, then another long wait to get on the bus. I would say about 2 hr. then the ride to your lodging. you check in with all your belongings and wait forr another bus to take you to the park. You may get there by 3 or 4 pm
I used your one day itineraries at Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea this past December and we were able to do so many of the attractions!
Your Disney Sea one especially, I grabbed a map the night before and actually plotted out the routes! We didn’t see any shows or parades, but hopefully when we go back in April, we will do so!
Have you heard anything about whether Disney will restructure the fast pass tiers at DHS once Rise of the Reisstance opens? Or do you think they’ll wait until runaway railway opens? We’re planning a trip in late January and will have to book fast passes in a few weeks.
I don’t know if we’ll make it to Tokyo Disneyland, but it’s on my bucket list. I’d like to see a 3-day plan for the two parks.
Thanks!
Hi Tom! Any idea when/if Diseny After Dark hours for February 2020 will be released? Any word if they will be offering these events next year too? Thanks!
Hi Tom,
Really great post, as always. I was wondering if you would be up to writing a dedicated Shanghai Disneyland 1-Day Touring Plan? I always found your itineraries really helpful, and a Shanghai one would definitely help me planning myself.
Thank you!
Hi Tom,
I’m taking two cousins in beginning of June. One is Italian, speaks no English. (We use Google Translate and works well!) The other in her 70’s will be in a W/C.
First, are there any translation devices in Italian at the parks?
Second, do you expect crowds to be obscene on June 5-7?
Thanks so much for any insight.
P.S. We are staying at Best Western Lake Buena Vista and hope to use shuttle or Lyft.
Hi Tom,
I’ve been following your blog for a few months and am so glad I stumbled upon it! Do you have or plan on creating a Disney World Holiday Itinerary? We are going in November and would love to have something to tell us what to do and see! We are planning on attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party as well! We have 2 small little girls so we think they will love that! Also interested in the Minnie’s Holiday Dine!
Thank you!